Obsidian
by Eilarran
Summary: What if Anakin never met Padme? What if he became the redeemer instead of the redeemed? Not all is as it seems as Palpatine has a whole new world of conspiracy and deceit in store...AU. Set during the Clone Wars. AnakinxOC
1. The Rogue

**AN: This is an AU story taking place during the Clone Wars, between the second and third movie in the canon series. **

**The premise is that Anakin never met Padme on Tatooine which effectively excludes her from the story. **

**The following is short a pilot chapter future ones will be longer of what could be a very large, epic fic if enough people like it and if I'm bothered enough to complete it.**

**There are NO MARY SUES. I repeat: NO MARY SUES on the premises of this literary landscape! So breathe freely, folks.**

**PS: I'm not terribly familiar with all the Star Wars technical terminology so corrections are welcome as is any concrit.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, blahdi blahdi blah.**

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**Obsidian**

Chapter I: The Rogue

* * *

''Gold Leader down! Gold Leader down! Proceed to trajectory A47!''

The receiver buzzed in Anakin's ear as he swerved another seeker missile with a well-calculated manoeuvre. The attack was going according to plan, though losses were great. He had no time to contemplate the fallen pilots; a single moment of repose could cost him his life.

The scene before him was one of fluid chaos. Laser beams were criss-crossing the star burst sky, zigzagging starships littering the view, and they were winning. Anakin felt that same rush of exuberance whenever victory felt this close and he breathed it like air. Any moment now, the mother ship would be taken down and the battle would be over.

But just as the feelings of jubilance rose to their peak, Anakin's ship was violently shook and plunged into overdrive.

''What the hell?'' Anakin snarled, his fingers whizzing around the controls, trying to stabilise the system as another sharp pang rattled through the metal shell casing, more threatening than the first. At last, Anakin neutralised the damage only to discover another ship tailing his flight path. One that he failed to recognise as belonging to the Imperial fleet.

''A rogue…So, you wanna play rough? '' Anakin muttered to himself determinately ''we'll play rough''. He was dubbed the galaxy's best starship pilot for a reason.

The young Jedi pulled at the control levers, sending his ship into a nosedive which the enemy followed skilfully. A number of complicated aerial acrobatics later, Anakin was left impressed and excited by the challenge.

''This guy's good.'' He mused. ''Let's find out just how good.'' And with a smirk, the padawan directed the starship into the orbit of a nearby planet – Odraenn R-7.

''Anakin, what are you doing?'' Obi Wan's voice, laced with his usual dose of concern, sounded through the receiver. ''We need you here to finish the mission.''

''Sorry, master. There is another matter that requires my attention.'' Anakin responded flatly. ''Don't worry, it won't take long. I promise, master.''

''Anak-'' Obi Wan's incredulous reply was cut off as the young Jedi disconnected the receiver.

''R2, prepare the ship for landing in sector 39864B.''

An affirmative series of beeps issued from the screen as Anakin steered the ship into the planet's atmosphere, the enemy rogue firmly on its tail, though this time he was able to dodge the incoming missiles successfully.

When touchdown finally came, Anakin made a few swift orders not to reveal his coordinates nor request backup. He wanted to handle this one on his own, intrigued by the prowess of his opponent and the opportunity to exercise his true powers to their limit. The thought of that alone send adrenaline riding through his veins as excitement overwhelmed him. No longer would he need to hold back…

Removing his helmet and donning his combat gear, Anakin left the ship with caution, carefully taking note of his present surroundings. The planet appeared to be heavily vegetated, with strange animal noises punctuating the furtive silence of the night. The three moons shone irregularly and visual echoes of the raging battle above could be observed in the clear obsidian sky. An endless carpet of jungle seemed to eat away at the horizon and the air felt moist.

Stepping onto the soft earth, Anakin noticed the enemy ship a few yards away, seconds into its landing process. The padawan gripped his lightsaber firmly in his hand, poised in anticipation of a strong and powerful figure he sure he was going to face. When the entrance finally opened, he was slightly startled to find a dark hooded shape, small in stature and breadth, emerge with uneven steps, clutching a scarlet lightsaber and making its way towards him at a savage pace.

Before Anakin could even prepare himself, the figure extended a hand with one sharp movement, summoning the trunk of an enormous tree out of the earth and sending it in his direction with astounding force. Anakin flung himself sideways, his left ear barely missing the bark of the tree by mere inches when another tree came flying with equally alarming speed, giving him no more than a second to recover.

At last, the young Jedi composed himself and utilising the rocks from under his feet, sent them like bullets to divert the incoming attack. Without sparing a moment, he leapt to his feet and ran to engage his opponent in direct combat which he knew he would win. However, the hooded figure intercepted his movements and dived upwards, out of his reach, landing on top of a branch high above. Anakin followed, soaring into the air and bringing down his lightsaber where the figure stood, concealed by the depths of its cloak. The enemy dodged the slicing action of the weapon which sawed the branch clean off the trunk, and swung onto the next in what Anakin interpreted, with victorious satisfaction, as an escape strategy.

To his surprise, his opponent drew a serpentine ribbon of water out of the nearby river with a flick of his wrist and whipped Anakin off the branch, sending him plummeting twenty feet to the ground. Fortunately, the young Jedi managed to assert his landing stance, avoiding a painful crash. The anger and humiliation of loss was now taking possession of him as Anakin's eyes glazed over with hate. He pounced onto the tree branch with newfound dexterity, snarling in rage which took the hooded figure off guard, giving it no time to escape the onslaught of the Jedi's lightsaber moving faster than light.

The opponent parried with greater force which Anakin matched in speed and skill. They both appeared to be engaged in a stalemate as the battle seemed to drag on, Anakin remaining on the offensive. Fed up with the elusiveness of the triumph of his enemy's defeat which he so desired, Anakin channelled his frustration into one powerful thrust which sent his foe hurtling towards the neighbouring tree, colliding painfully with its trunk and falling lifelessly on to the ground with a resounding thud.

Elated at his conquest, the padawan descended back onto the earth, breathing heavily with exertion. He could not remember the last time his success was so hard won, his combat so trying. But the assertion of his own might and power was always its sweetest reward, one which he now savoured as he approached his fallen adversary, expecting to see some hideous, contorted face belonging to a Sith or some other grim race in the employment of the enemy forces.

He stopped short of the crumpled heap at the foot of the tree, covered in a mass of black cloak. But what he found made him rigid with shock, his eyes scanning the visage of his opponent in pure astonishment.

It was a girl.

No younger than seventeen at most, her face was sickly pallid and tinged with grey, framed by a contorted pool of fluid black hair which seemed poorly cared for, as the rest of her bore the impression of. Her features were finely chiselled but harsh, and even in the arms of unconsciousness her expression was cold and unwelcoming.

Anakin stood still by his defeated challenger, his mind engaged in its own battle of indecision as he attempted to choose the right course of action. Instead of the menacing, evil warrior he was expecting to find, there lay a mere child at his feet awaiting its fate.

Could he really slay such a helpless being? Was she, perhaps, an innocent, unsuspecting pawn in twisted games of the Sith? He did not know…she was just too young for the potential atrocities she might have already committed…But was she dangerous? Yes. Could he leave her there and allow her to wreak more havoc? No. Could he kill her? Could he do the necessary thing to neutralise the hazard?

Anakin watched the insentient face of the young woman and made a decision. He did not know why was doing it and he did not know how he was going to explain himself to his master, but he lifted the limp form of the girl and carried her to his ship, cursing his illogical conclusions.

Obi Wan was going to kill him.


	2. Echoes of the Sith

**A.N - IMPORTANT! Just to clarify this for some of the readers: Everything in the story up to this point is stricktly canon. That means, Padme and R2 still exist. However, the ONLY omission here is Padme and Anakin's relationship. This is because Padme never befriended Anakin in Phantom of the Menace due to her not leaving the ship under the disguise of a handmaiden. Qui Gon Jin stood his ground by not allowing her to accompany him on Tatooine and so she never formally met little Annie. They know OF each other but they do not KNOW each other, so Padme has no role in this fanfic. Everything else is according to canon.**

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**Chapter II – Echoes of the Sith**

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Words of an unsavoury nature tunnelled their way through Anakin's mind as he launched his ship into space, away from the labyrinthine landscape of the unchartered planet. His nameless passenger lay in the force shielded chamber, still out cold. However, she was the least of his worries as Anakin reached the scene of the battlefield, only to discover it long deserted.

''What's going on…?'' He murmured. ''Obi Wan? Do you read me? Master, are you there?'' He spoke into the receiver, pausing for a response that never came. ''Where are you, master?'' But all he heard was static and silence which infuriated and confused him.

''R2 - key in to Obi Wan's location.'' He ordered the droid unit while telling himself to remain calm. The battle could not have been over this quickly. Obi Wan would have tried to contact him already, so why was he not responding? All of this seemed far too out of order…

The relevant coordinates flashed on the screen and Anakin scanned them with mounting anxiety.

''The Roon System? What would Obi Wan be doing there? This was not part of our assignment.'' He mused, feeling his muscles tense. Something was definitely wrong. ''Right. Let's do this R2.'' The Jedi deliberated and steered the ship into hyperspace. They were already in the Outer Rim Territories so the journey was bound to last only a couple of hours.

After a while Anakin heard a stirring at the back of the ship. His captive was finally coming to, so he got up to attend her awakening out of curiosity. He was met with a pair of piercing red eyes, drilling into his own with contempt and rage.

''Hah!'' The prisoner exclaimed and spat on the floor in his direction. ''I can finally get a good look at your filthy Jedi mug, Skywalker'' She taunted him with mock glee, staggering to her feet and propping herself on the wall. She was pale and lanky with a malnourished air around her, exacerbated only by the prominent shadows framing her large accusing eyes. Her long black hair hung over her sullen face in irregular strands, partially shielding it from view. Anakin remained unfazed.

''That's no way to thank your saviour.'' His tone was grim.

The girl threw her head back and laughed.

''My _saviour_?'' She hissed derisively. ''More like a **coward**!''

Surprised, Anakin threw her a questioning glare.

''You were not man enough to finish the job and kill me! How pathetic.'' The captive snarled. ''You Jedi scum are all the same. Clinging to your precious morals, pretending to give a crap about people when all you really are is a bunch of scared little bastards!'' And she smirked with satisfaction as Anakin's blood began to simmer. He was really beginning to regret bringing this troublesome, insolent brat with him.

''You should be thanking me on your knees for sparing your sorry life.'' The young padawan spoke, each word laced with warning. ''Or else I'll change my mind''

''Then do it!'' The prisoner jeered. ''Prove your worth by killing me right here and now.'' She straightened up and stared him down with incredible force. ''I have no fear. Unlike you''

Anakin felt his hands ball into fists but reminded himself of his master's teachings.

''_Restraint, restraint. Practise restraint…''_. Closing his eyes and heaving a sigh, he turned around and marched back to the control room, still feeling the intensity of the girl's gaze burning the back of his neck.

''I knew it! You don't have what it takes.'' He heard her sneer in his direction. ''You are worthless just like the rest of your kind, Skywalker'' And with that she slumped back on the floor as Anakin shut the door between them, determined not to let her words get to him.

* * *

The journey seemed to drag on endlessly despite its previous ascertained brevity.

''How many parsecs, R2?'' Anakin queried for the hundredth time, impatience accumulating in every fibre of his body. The answer did not satisfy him.

He knew that he should be questioning his captive, trying to gain intelligence on the Separatists, but he was in a bad disposition already and had no desire to exacerbate it further by having to face that arrogant child. He would talk this over with Obi Wan and let the Council handle it, as was protocol.

''_Not like the Council is in the habit of making all the right decisions…''_ He mused. _''No. I'll handle this on my own. In my own way''_ And pinching the bridge of his nose to steady his nerves Anakin left his post and headed for the inner chamber. He found his prisoner still slumped against the wall, visibly weakened and wounded from their previous battle. Her eyes were closed in either sleep or meditation – he didn't know.

The young Jedi took advantage of this by examining her appearance carefully. The girl had a look of someone very much uncared for. Though slight in form, her height was noteworthy and her presence imposing. Her harsh features betrayed a lack of trust and amiability - her jaw firmly set and her body tense despite the position of rest. Anakin did not consider her beautiful. She had neither feminine grace nor elegance, but something about her inspired intrigue which had inevitably drawn him to her. He could not explain it, and he did not like it.

''You know it's rude to stare'' The young woman smirked, eyes still shut.

''I was only being polite by not waking you up.'' Anakin recovered himself resolutely, though it did not sound convincing even to himself.

''Tch, yeah right''

There was silence.

''Well? What do you want?'' The prisoner turned to glare at him demandingly.

''Your name, for starters.''

''And why would I give you that?'' She had a point.

''Because I won't leave until you do''

''I guess when you put it that way'' She scoffed. ''Kaena Rai. Happy now?''

''I'm not done here yet'' Anakin spoke firmly.

The girl made an unpleasant, exasperated noise. It was like talking to an uncultured, poorly mannered child.

''May I remind you that you're clearly in no position to make threats or to refuse.''

''For now'' Kaena sneered.

''Who do you work for?''

''Master Darth Tyranus.'' An ominous smile spread on her cold, pallid features. Anakin's eyes widened in surprise. He did not anticipate capturing one of Count Dooku's new apprentices. This was beginning to get more dangerous and complicated by the minute.

''Who are you, really?'' The urgency in his voice was barely concealed.

''I am a Sith.'' The young woman stood proudly, though with great difficulty due to her injuries. Her voice resonated with an air of arrogance and grandeur. ''My blood and my heritage are pure. I am of the **one**, the **only** Sith order – The True Sith! All the others are merely insolent fakes and wannabes like that Rattataki woman.'' By this of course, Anakin presumed, she meant Asajj Ventress. He inwardly recoiled in astonishment and with each new word his grip on his lightsaber tightened.

''My ancestry has roots millennia in the past, back to King Adas himself!'' Kaena finished smugly, allowing her exhausted body to slide down gently to the floor.

King Adas…_Adas_…where had he heard that name before?

And then he remembered a conversation with Obi Wan many years ago, back when he was still a child under his stringent tutelage.

_Anakin sat on the window ledge, his leg swinging off the rim while fiddling with broken droid parts. Occasionally he'd stare absentmindedly into the cityscape below and then return to his work. On the other side of the room Obi Wan was attempting to fix a malfunctioning lightsaber._

''_Master,'' The little boy queried, not taking his eyes off the metalwork._

''_Yes, Anakin?''_

''_May I ask you a question?''_

''_I don't see why not'' Obi wan replied, wiping the precipitation off his brow. He really wasn't very good at this kind of handiwork. _

''_Where do the Sith come from?'' He may just as well have asked what came first, the chicken or the egg. _

_Obi Wan paused. _

_The boy's request seemed casual enough; he still appeared to be primarily occupied with his idle mending. But underneath that veil of careless informality lurked curiosity…The Jedi master proceeded cautiously._

''_Why do you wish to know?'' He asked, careful not to come across as overly suspicious. ''Has the Order not given you all you need to know?''_

''_Not really.'' Anakin replied simply, his leg still swinging nonchalantly off the ledge. ''They don't like talking about it.''_

''_Well, maybe there is a good reason they don't.'' Obi Wan hoped that would discourage him from digging any further, but he knew he was wrong._

''_I think it's because they're afraid.'' _

_The Jedi master froze. _

''_Afraid of what, Anakin?''_

''_Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said that many Jedi have turned to the Dark side because they knew too much about the Sith. I guess they're scared that the others will leave too, if they knew the truth.'' The boy shrugged._

''_That's a very sharp observation, my young padawan.'' Obi Wan spoke, impressed by the deductive powers of the ten year old. ''But the Jedi archives are open to all those within the Order. Someday, when you are older, you may have access to them too.''_

''_But I'm tired of waiting!'' The boy complained. ''The Order never tells me anything. They always underestimate me.'' A juvenile frown graced his youthful features. _

_Obi Wan sighed. This is exactly what he was beginning to be afraid of. _

''_Alright, I'll tell you.'' He conceded and set down the broken lightsaber._

''_Yippee!'' Anakin exclaimed as he would, back on Tatooine. Abandoning his pretence of aloofness and the disjointed droid parts he was using as a distraction, the eager pupil sidled up closer to his master, eyes ablaze. _

'' _The Sith civilisation – or the origins of their race that is- begun around 130,000 ago.'' Obi Wan lectured on calmly, watching his padawan closely. ''They were a violent and ruthless race which thrived on eternal war and conflict, most of it self-caused. Their religion was born 30,000 years later. For thousands of years they lived so, until 28,000 ago when the first Sith King – Adas – took control of Korriban, their home planet. He was the first to unite his kin under one rule and was regarded invincible among his kind.'' Anakin listened intently, hanging on every word. ''He reigned for almost three hundred years until the Rakata invaded his world. These species, which stood at the helm of the Infinite Empire, taught Adas the secret of making holocrons. However, the-''_

''_Holocrons?'' The boy interrupted, his eyes full of wonder and…was it hunger? ''What are Holocrons?''_

''_That is for another day, young one'' Obi Wan quickly recovered. He realised only too late that he had already told him too much._

''_Awww, but mas-''_

''_That's quite enough'' The Jedi cut him off. ''It is much past your bedtime''_

_Anakin lowered his head in obedience. _

''_Yes, master'' _

Anakin was snapped out of his reverie as he felt the ship leave hyperspace.

''_But how could this be?''_ He thought with alarm. _''There was still one parsec left until the end of the journey''_

Something wasn't right.


End file.
